It's Just Procedure
by Maipe
Summary: This story is set during "Monster."  I started to wonder what Frank Best and Jerry were talking about when they were standing in the background after the announcement that Lee had died.  This is the conversation that I imagined them having.


Jerry just couldn't seem to wrap his head around it. A few short hours ago he was getting ready to call it a night and go home with Traci after shift. Have a little dinner, enjoy a bottle of wine, and make love all night. Maybe even catch a few hours of sleep before she left to pick up Leo from Dex's. Instead she was at the hospital under quarantine getting more scared with each passing minute and he was quarantined in 15 unable to be with her and comfort her in any way.

As soon as she said that Lee had died he felt like he had been punched in the gut. He could tell she was scared, and he was scared for her, but he kept the fear out of his voice as he attempted to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince more, her or him.

He barely heard as Frank called out to him to join him and Barb as they addressed the division. They had placed Peck in Frank's office since she had primary contact with Lee. Primary contact. Traci had had just as much contact with Lee as Peck, on top of which she rode all the way to the hospital in the back of the ambulance with him breathing his air, sucking in his germs.

He leaned forward up against the railing watching as what Barb and Frank were saying sunk in to officers and detectives of the division and they dispersed to call loved ones, or simply go back to whatever they had been doing to distract themselves and pass the time.

He turned away from the room and leaned back against the railing. Frank sat across from him on the edge of a desk looking a little more tired than he had a few minutes earlier.

"Tough to be the man on top sometimes huh?" Jerry asked.

"Tell me about it." Frank glanced up and noticed that Jerry wasn't quite his usual laid back self. Of course, Nash. "How are _you_ holding up?"

Jerry shrugged, "It is what it is. Been here before right?"

"Well, I'm guessing it's a little different when you're worrying about someone else."

"That obvious?" Jerry ran his fingers agitatedly through his hair. "Just tell me that I'm getting all worked up here for nothing."

"You're getting all worked up here for nothing. She's going to be fine man. All of this, it's just procedure, you know that, the usual precautions. You get to play cards and b/s with your buds all while getting paid overtime. It's no big deal."

"Right, and that's why Peck over there is caged up tight looking like a claustrophobic blonde orangutan at the zoo."

The both glanced over to see Peck still pacing back and forth nervously talking to herself.

Frank chuckled, "That's cold man."

"Yeah well. She's about two seconds from swinging fron the light fixtures, beating on her chest and throwing stuff at the glass."

"You might be right, but Nash is going to be fine. She's smart, level headed; She'll weather this just fine. There's nothing you can do for her except stay calm yourself and keep her spirits up when you talk to her."

"That's what I keep telling myself, but…" Jerry looked off and shrugged.

"So, I'm guessing things are getting pretty serious between the two of you."

Jerry laughed, "Understatement of the year. I tell you that white shirt hasn't affected your powers of observation. What gave it away?"

"Well when Jerry Barber takes a right hook to the chin for a woman and lets the other guy walk away free as a bird when you got a barn full of back-up and the law on your side…"

"Oh that." Jerry shrugged, "He's the father of her kid man, what was I supposed to do? Anyway, I sort of had it coming."

"Yeah from what I hear you absolutely had it coming. Still, someone comes into my house and takes a swing, don't know if I would have been so cool about it."

Jerry grinned. "Well I could afford to be gracious, a sore jaw was a cheap price to pay after all, I got the girl."

"You did indeed. Though it was more like a sore jaw and a sore ass."

"Excuse me?"

"He knocked you on your ass Jerry."

"You weren't there."

"Saw the security footage, two different angles, clear as could be. We burned a DVD."

"Tell me you're joking."

"Not even a little. Edited, captioned, with a soundtrack and everything. Would have posted it on Youtube, but that kind of thing just makes the whole force look bad."

"Copies?"

"Just the one. I keep it for my own private viewing. If you are really nice to me I might let you have it."

Jerry laughed and shook his head. Frank had done it, calmed him down, and focused him. "Thanks man, I needed that."

"Anytime brother." Frank stood up and looked around. Barb's people had set up and the squad was starting to line up to get checked out. "So we're good here?"  
>"Yeah, yeah everything is bright and shiny. Go rally the troops."<p>

Frank looked around at his division, each person trying his or her best to cope. He shook his head. "Rally them to what? I'm going to find a place to camp out until there's more news. Oh and Jerry, the answer is no."

Jerry looked at him questioningly.

"When this all gets resolved and Nash is back at work and you start getting all antsy and paranoid about the idea of her doing her job and come to me with some lame excuse to get me to keep her in the barn and off the streets. The answer is no."

Jerry snorted; Frank did know him pretty well. It was worth a try though. "You know, she really is a damn fine desk officer. Really great on the phone, takes the most detailed messages, directs public inquiries like she was born to it."

"I'll pay off whatever you owe Oliver if you call Nash up right now and compliment her administrative support skills, tell her she was born to it. In fact I'll double it."

Jerry shook his head. "Not that desperate, the money is not worth the pain she'd cause me."

Frank smiled. He glanced over at Peck, still pacing. "This better get resolved soon, I want my office back, she looks like she could get comfortable in there, it's in her blood."

Jerry watched as Frank walked off. Yeah, everything was going to be bright and shiny. Nash was going to be fine, she had to be, there was no other option. He looked around, where were Sam and McNally getting on the Smurf bank job case, he needed to get some work done. He caught sight of one of the security cameras out of the corner of his eye and paused. Nah, Frank had to be kidding.


End file.
